Finance help at Crossroads Care Gateshead

A small group of volunteers from the Finance Department lent a helping hand to a community partner suggested by members of the department itself. 

Crossroads Care Gateshead is a well-established charity providing services across Gateshead Borough to Carers, Young Carers and people with care needs. Their aim is to improve the lives of Carers and those they support. They are based in The Old School Care Centre in the west of Gateshead with offices and an activity hall based in the old school building. They have recently acquired more land and the schoolhouse which they are developing into an accessible respite environment, activity centre and community asset.

The house is nearing completion and the team at Crosssroads Care are getting excited to get it up especially after they have faced a number of set backs. After a briefing of the tasks, the team of volunteers split into smaller groups - the cleaners, the gardeners and the pew restorers and busied away on.

The major work in the house had led the living room and office area to become incredibly dusty from top to bottom. The cleaning team did a great job of washing the windows, wiping down services and clearing the room so the floor could be washed.

The gardeners took it in turns with the lawn mower to tackle the overgrown lawn and weed the front garden and entrance. The grass around the site perimeter was strimmed away perking up the front of the building.

The pews which had been recovered from the church, demolished in 2012, were given a new lease-of-life, sanded down and painted in beautiful bright colours fitting in with the furniture in the rest of the house.

Stopping for lunch, everyone popped around to admire the rest of the team's morning efforts before making their way to the old school hall. After the chance to rejuvenate people were eager to return to task.

The rain prevented the gardening crew from fulfilling their calling to a clump of grass causing the teams to move around; assembling flat-pack furniture and painting an old cabinet. And then before we knew it, the day was over and everyone had to head back home.

Thank you to all the staff from Crossroads Care Gateshead for helping with even the silliest of requests.